WEATHER, TRAFFIC OBLIGE AT START OF HOLIDAY TRAVEL

The weather obliged. Traffic, though heavy and causing minor accidents and one bizarre incident Wednesday, did not result in undue delays. Travelers got to where they were headed.

The Thanksgiving Day holiday is traditionally the busiest in terms of travel, and this year's holiday should set records despite record- high gasoline prices, travel officials said.

Wednesday evening on I-95 in West Haven, a bullet shattered a motorist's passenger-side window, state police said. No one was injured in the incident, state police said, and it was not clear from where the shot was fired.

Connecticut will be bundling up for the early part of this holiday weekend, weather forecasters said, but the lower temperatures aren't expected to postpone festivities.

"It's going to feel more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. . . . It may even feel like New Year's Day," said Gary Lessor, assistant director of Western Connecticut State University's weather center. "It's going to be 10 to 15 degrees colder than normal."

The AAA's Automobile Club of Hartford says nearly 35 million Americans will travel at least 100 miles from home. A survey done by AAA with the U.S. Travel Data Center indicates that during the four- day weekend, about two in three travelers stay with relatives or friends. That contrasts with other holidays when people typically visit vacation spots.

Most of the traffic -- about 28.9 million people -- will be via cars, light trucks and recreational vehicles. Six million people will travel by plane, train or bus, 4 percent more than last Thanksgiving, AAA statistics indicate.

Amtrak added trains to its Northeast corridor tracks to handle a quarter of a million passengers this weekend. The railroad plans to borrow commuter cars to meet the demand.

Gasoline prices, up nationwide over a year ago, weren't expected to keep people off the highway. That's true even in Connecticut, which has some of the steepest average gasoline prices in the country and where averages at the pumps are 15 cents a gallon more than a year ago.

The AAA's monthly fuel gauge survey of 30 service stations found that the average price for a gallon of self-serve gas is $1.42.

As always on holidays, the Connecticut State Police will be out on the roads. Operation CARE, or "Combined Accident Reduction Effort," as labeled by police, began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and will continue until midnight Sunday.

Sgt. Dale Hourigan, state police spokesman, said an increased number of troopers will be looking for intoxicated drivers, speeders, those following too closely and motorists changing lanes improperly.

Weather permitting, state police will monitor traffic from the air to identify accidents and other traffic problems, Hourigan said.

And the forecast is expected to oblige, Lessor said. Today should be clear, cold and sunny, Lessor said. Though some snowflakes may swirl by the evening, no accumulation is expected.

Lessor said a high pressure system from Canada that will hover over New England will give way to rising temperatures and increasing cloudiness through the weekend.

A front of rain currently expected for Monday may move quicker than anticipated and arrive in time to cause returning travelers some headaches Sunday evening, Lessor said.